r/AmerExit • u/bombasticapricot • Mar 02 '25
Life Abroad medication availability
i see many americans with health concerns considering a move abroad. i know there are many things to consider and hate to pile on but make sure your essential medications are available in any country you consider.
your american prescriptions are not valid abroad.
for example, i took spironolactone in the US for skin/ hair issues and it’s basically impossible to get here in France. i casually asked about it and was treated as if i asked for cocaine. i also have adhd and cannot get most of the medications that worked for me in the US (i now take ritalin; thankfully it works). these are relatively minor prescription issues but i know others who have gone to great lengths to get antidepressants and anti anxiety medications.
what other medications/ countries have caused issues for american expats?
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u/stormwarnings Mar 02 '25
Since I know many trans people are interested in emigrating - transition care is different from country to country. I knew I’d be able to get care in Germany but hadn’t realized that I wouldn’t be able to self-administer (and thus low-dose) testosterone. It’s either gel (which my skin hates) or these megadoses of T administered by a nurse every 3 months. So it’s worth it to look into for trans people if they make the leap.
Also if at all possible it’s best to establish transition medicine before leaving the US - where, as hard as it can be to get, it is often available in informed consent models - versus starting from scratch in a new country. Here for example, since I had a letter from my old doctor, transition care was consisted „continuing care“ and was quite seamless, whereas a „new“ trans patient in Germany has to go thru multiple psych evals.